banks



(No Model.) 2 ShetsSheet 1.

G. L. BANKS. CHECK PUNCH.

No. 449,993. Patented Apr. 7, 1891.

' WITNESSES IN VENTOH AZTOHNEYS m: mums PE7ERS co., womu-ma, msnmsrou,04 c,

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. L. BANKS. CHECK PUNCH.

No. 449,993. Patented Apr. 7, 1891.

WITNESSES: I INVENTOH; @W/Qi 9 v BY g A TTOFi/VE rs (HE Norms Pumas co,FNDYO-L|YHO., WASHINGTON, u c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICIE,

GEORGE L. BANKS, or FALL RIVER, ASSIGNOR or THREE-EOUR'rI-ISTo;W114i?LIAM E. CASE, JOHN o. SMITH, BENJAMIN R. WAY, LUTHER 'r. WAY, isAAof.HUDSON, AND onARLEs FARIVELL, AL oE EREDoNIA, KANSAS.

CHECK-PUNCH.

Application filed June 23, 1890- To' (bZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. BANKS, of Fall River, in the county ofGreenwood and State of Kansas, haveinvented a new and useful Improvementin Check-Punches, of which Y the following is a full, clear and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvementin check-punches, and has for itsobject to proro vide a device of simple and durable construction andcapable of being conveniently manipulated t0 perforate a check withfigures representing the amount of its face value. The inventionconsists in the novel construction and combination of the several itparts,- as willbe hereinafter fully set forth, and

pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figurel'is aside elevation of the device, partly in section on theflllley y in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a planview of the device. Fig. 3 is 2 5 alongitudinal section taken on the line 00 a:

in Fig. Fig. 1 is a front end view of the device, a portion of thebase'being in transverse section; and Fig. 5 is a transverse sectionpractically on line 3 y in Fig. 1.

The base 10 is provided at its ends with suitable legs 11, and in theupper face of the base, near one longitudinal side, achannel 1 2 isproduced. To the upper surface of the base, nearer the front than therear end, angle-or 3 5 L shaped arms 13 and 14 are secured, the saidarms being arranged one at each side of the groove 12, and the lowerends of the vertical members only of the arms are secured tothe base,the rear ends of the horizontal members, of the arms being connected bya suitably" shaped plate 15, as is best shown in Fig. 2.

To the outer face of the horizontal member of the arm 14, near thejunction of said member with the vertical member, a horizontal 5indicating-plate 16 is secured, which plate, if found desirable inpractice, may form an integral portion of the arm.

The'indicating-plate 16 is preferably pro- TPatent No. 449,993, datedApril '7, 1891. Serial No. 356,361. (No model.)

the apertures, preferably that located at the forward end and thenumbers from 1 to 9 appear in proper order opposite the followingapertures, and a cipher appears opposite the aperture at the rear end ofthe indicatingplate, as is best illustrated in Fig. 2.

Ears 18 are also formed upon the horizontal member of the arm let,preferably near the rear end of the indicating-plate, and in the saidears a bracket-rod 19 is held to slide vertioally, the lower end'ofwhichrod is bifurcated, and between the members of the said hifurcated end afriction-roller 2O isjournaled,

the longitudinal axis of the roller being parallel with the longitudinalaxis of the base.

The roller '20 normally engages with the peripheral surface of aparallel roller 21, j ournaled in a suitable aperture in the base, asillustrated in Fig. 5. The two rollers are held in normal contact by a'spring 22, which is coiled around the bracket-rod between asho'ulder onthe rod and the upper ear 18. The

bracket-rod is further provided, preferably at its upper end, with aknob 23, whereby the rod may be conveniently drawn upward against thetension of the spring, disengaging thereby the friction-rollers 20'and21.

The friction roller 21 is not journaled di rectly tothe walls of theopening in the base 10, in which it turns, but upon one end of a shaft24, which shaft is journaled beneath the base and'has attached to itsforward end a ratchet-wheel 25, whieh is capable of revolving in theopening produced in the base to receive it, as is best shown in Figs. 1and 2.

A gage-frame A is held to slide in the channel 12 of the base, and thesaid frame consists of a lower bar 26, which is adapted 'to enter thesaid channel, provided at its forward end with a vertical extension 27,to which by an integral arm 28 a rectangular skeleton section 29 isattached or formed integral therewith, as best shown in Fig. 3. In theupper and lower horizontal bars of the rectangular section 29 of thegage-frame a series of vertically-aligning apertures is produced, and ineach of the vertically-aligning apertures a punch 30 is held to slide.Each punch is controlled by a spring 31,-coiled around it and heldthereto at its upper end and having a bearing at its lower end againstthe lower bar of the said rectangular section. I

The n umber of apertures in the rectangular section of the gage-framecorresponds to the number of apertures upon the indicatingplate, and thepunches are provided at their lower ends with numbers or characterscorresponding" in sequence to the numbers and characters upon theindicating-plate.

The lower or base bar 26 of the gage-frame is provided with a series ofvertical openings 32, which openings correspond in number with theopenings or apertures in the section of the gage-frame above the bar andthe apertures in the indicating-plate. The apertures in the base-bar ofthe gage-frame are, however, preferably made flaring at the upper faceof the bar.

To the rear end of the punch-carrying sec tion 29 of the gage-frame thelower ends ofa bifurcated lever 33 are pivoted. This lever consists oftwo spaced bars curved at their rear ends from the gage-frame upwardlyand connected at their forward ends, and at the forward connected endsof the lever a knob 34 is attached. The lever is of such length that itsforward end will be located, practically, over the vertical members ofthe basearms 13 and 14.

The members of the lever33 at a point near the knob 34 are connected,preferably, by a cross-bar 35, and from one side of the levera fingerv36 is outwardly and downwardly extended, adapted to enterany one of theapertures in the indicating-plate that the operator may desire.

The rear end of a spring-bar 37 is securely fastened at or near thecenter of the plate 15, connecting the arms of the base, and the saidspring-bar is made to extend forward between the members of the lever 33beneath the bar 35, the forward end of said lever being beyond the frontend of the arms. At one side of the front end of the spring-bar theupper extremity of a dog 37 is pivoted in a fork 38, pivoted in the bar,the lower extremity of which dog is provided with a head 38, adapted toengage with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 25, and the dog is normallyheld in contact with the ratchet-wheel through the medium of a spring39, attached to the bar 37 and having a bearingagainst the dog betweenthe base of the .device and the said bar, as is illustrated best inFig. 1. The bar 37 is further provided, preferably at a point oppositethe bracket-rod 19, with a pressure-block 40, the said block being madeto extend downward from the lower surface of the bar and adapted forengagement with the punches 30 when the device is operated.

In operation the friction-roller 20 is lifted,

and the check is inserted between the said roller and the roller 21beneath it. The frietion-roller 20 is then permitted to engage with thecheck. The lever 33, attached to the gageframe A, is then carried inthedirection of the front until the finger 36 enters the aperture alongsideof which the character is produced, and when the finger enters the saidaperture the punch bearing the character will be brought immediatelybeneath the pressure-block 40 of the spring-bar 37, which pressure-blockis immediately above the line of travel of the check. By pressing downupon the knob'Sl of the lever the spring-bar 37 is depressed and itsattached block 40 forces the punch down through the paper into the aper!ture 32 of the gage-frame immediately below it,therebyperforating orpuncturing the dol lar-mark upon the cheek. At the time that thespring-bar 37 is pressed downward the head of the dog 37 is disengagedfrom the ratchet-wheel 25; but upon releasing the lever the spring-barreturns to its normal position, elevating the punch and likewise the dog37, whereupon the head of the said dog, engaging with the ratchet-wheel,turns the wheel one notch, revolving the shaft 24 and turning thefriction-roller 21. This action causes the check to be automaticallvmoved forward a sufficient distance to receive the first number of theamount to be perforated or punctured therein, and the said number will,when the finger 36 is made to enter the proper aperture in theindicating-plate, be perforated immediately opposite the characterreferred to. Thus any number of figures may be punched in the check, aseach time that the finger 36 is made to enter an aperture intheindicating-plate and the lever 33 is pressed downward the downwardaction of the lever will cause the punch hearing the numbercorrespondingto that upon the indicating-plate to punch the check, andthe upward movement of the lever will carry the check farther inward. LIt wi1l be observed that the device is exceedingly simple and economicalin construc-. tion and that the check is automatically fed forward inproper form to regularly receive the characters or numbers desired to bepunched therein. I

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination,with the base having alongitudinally-extending vertically-yielding barprovided with a pressure-block, of a 1on gitudinally-sliding frameprovided with vertieally-movable punches, and an overhanging leverpivoted to the sliding frame to slide it and having a cross bar or armcrossing and movable along the upper side of the yielding bar andadapted to depress the same and bring the block into contact with anydesired punch, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the base having an overhanginglongitudinally-extending arm provided along one side with anaperturedindicating-plate and a vertically-yielding bar secured at oneendof the frame-arm and provided with a pressure-block, of alongitudinally-sliding frame on the base alongside of said overhangingarm and having a longitudinally-extending series of vertically-movablepunches adapted to be successively brought under the block for operationthereby, a lever mounted on the slidingframe and having a pin to entersaid indicating-apertures, and a cross piece or arm movable along andcrossing the upper side of the yielding bar, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with abaseprovided with an extension, an indicating-plate attached to thebase'extension and having a series of apertures produced therein, and agage-frame held to slide upon the base and apertured to correspond tothe apertures of the indicatingplate, of punches held to slide in theapertures of the frame, a spring-supported pressure-block adapted forengagement with the punches, a lever pivoted to the frame and adapted tocoact with the spring pressed pressure-block, and a finger projectedfrom the lever, adapted for engagement with the indicating-plate,substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

at. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a baseprovided with an extension, an apertured-indicating-plate at tached tothe extension of the base, a gageframe held to slide in the base andapertured to correspond to the apertures in the indicating-plate, andspring-pressed punches held to slide in the apertures of the frame, of alever pivoted to the frame, a finger attached to the lever and adaptedto enter the apertures of the indicating-plate, a spring-bar secured tothe extension of the base and engaging with the under-face of the lever,and a pressureblock secured to the spring-bar, substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a baseprovided with an extension, an apertured indicating-plate attached tothe extension of the base,a gageframe held to slide in the base andapertured to correspond to the apertures in the indicatingplate, andspring-pressed punches held to slide in the apertures of the frame, ofalever pivoted to the frame, a finger attached to the lever and adaptedto enter the apertures of the indicating-plate, a spring-bar secured tothe extension of the frame and engaging with the under face of thelever, a pressure-block secured to the spring-bar, a feed mechanism, anda ratchet-connection between the feed mechanism and the spring-bar,substantially as specified.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination, with a baseprovided with an extension, an apertured indicating-plate secured to theextension of the base, a gageframe held to slide upon the base, havingapertures corresponding to the apertures of the indicating-plate,spring-pressed punches held to slide in the apertures of the frame, anda spring-controlled friction-roller, the bearings whereof are held toslide upon the base-extension, of a shaftjournaled beneath the base, afriction-roller attached to the shaft and adapted for engagement withthe upper roller and a ratchet-wheel also attached to the shaft, abifurcated lever pivoted to the gage-frame and provided with an attachedfinger adapted to enter the apertures of the indicating-plate, aspring-bar secured at one end to the base-extension and engaging withthe lever, a pressure-block secured to the spring-bar between its ends,and a dog pivoted to the front end of the spring-bar and adapted forengagement with the said ratchet-wheel, as and for v the purposespecified.

. GEORGE L. BANKS.

\Vit-nesses:

T. B. J OHNSON, S. T. EVEY.

